HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2014-9116
MEDIUM

CVE-2014-9116

CWE-119Published: December 2, 2014· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.0
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The write_one_header function in mutt 1.5.23 does not properly handle newline characters at the beginning of a header, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a header with an empty body, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in the mutt_substrdup function.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2014-9116 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.
User Interaction
Scope
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityP
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
mageia1 product(s)
mageia
mutt1 product(s)
mutt
SUSE2 product(s)
linux enterprise desktopsuse linux enterprise server
Source: NVD CPE · 5 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0509.html
ADVISORYhttp://dev.mutt.org/trac/ticket/3716
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-01/msg00002.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-3083
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/5
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/9
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/71334
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1031266
ADVISORYhttp://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0509.html
ADVISORYhttp://dev.mutt.org/trac/ticket/3716
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-01/msg00002.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-3083
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/5
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/9
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/71334
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1031266

All References (26)

→
http://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0509.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
http://dev.mutt.org/trac/ticket/3716Issue Tracking · Vendor Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-01/msg00002.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
http://www.debian.org/security/2014/dsa-3083Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2014:245Broken Link
→
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:078Broken Link
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/5Exploit · Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/9Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/71334Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1031266Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=771125Exploit · Issue Tracking
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1168463Exploit · Issue Tracking
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-04
→
http://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0509.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
http://dev.mutt.org/trac/ticket/3716Issue Tracking · Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2014-9116
CVSS Score5.0 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-119
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 2, 2014

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

CVE-2005-3653
10.0
CVE-2002-2248
10.0
CVE-2008-6821
10.0
CVE-2001-0629
10.0
CVE-2002-1357
10.0
CVE-2002-2250
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2014-9116 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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